Getting Started
ZombieWatch is an alternate reality game (ARG) played at the Georgia Institute of Technology in which players join a ficticious ZombieWatch division of the CDC to prevent the spread of the zombie virus. The game was sponsored by WellBeing Fitness to promote the FitWatch activity monitor. Background Story 'Patient Zero' Patient Zero is a non-player character (NPC) who is the first human infected with the zombie virus. He is not given a name other than Patient Zero, but the Zombie Facebook Page claims that he was a computer science major at Georgia Tech who was in the incoming class of Fall 2011. He contracted the virus in the spring of 2014. He is responsible for letting new zombies know what to do to continue playing the game. 'The Virus' The CDC page identifies the virus as the Z6V6 virus. We are unsure where that name comes from, but names like this are generally derived from the antibodies found on the viral coat. The virus is spread through a bite from an infected individual, much like rabies. Once bitten, the individual will begin exhibiting some of the following symptoms: *Memory Loss *Unresponsiveness, or slow response time *Slurred, incoherent speech *Drastic personality change *Violent outbursts *The desire to eat brains 'Treatment' Individuals who have been infected by the zombie virus can be cured through the administration of a antidote developed by the CDC. The CDC did not divulge the process through which the antidote is created, but they did say that the process requires a lot of energy. To compensate for this they have installed generators in the workout equipment in Georgia Tech's Campus Recreation Center (CRC), and students on the support team are asked to workout there to contribute to the creation of antidotes. The more the members of the support team work out in the CRC, the more antidotes are available. How to Join 'Signing Up' #Go to the ZombieWatch website #Click on the "Log In" Tab on the lefthand side of the screen #Click on the "Enroll Now link" under the sign up heading #Fill out your information in the form provided #Click "Submit" #Read the message that pops up. If you do not have a FitWatch click "No" to become a Support team member and your enrollment is complete. If you have a FitWatch click "Yes" and follow the instructions below to connect your FitWatch. 'Connecting a FitWatch' #You will be asked if you would like to connect a FitWatch now. Click "Yes" #Wait while the computer searches for all FitWatches within syncing distance. #Read the list of defices displayed on the screen and select the name you gave youe FitWatch when you first configured it. #Wait while the computer connects and syncs with your FitWatch. #Your registration is complete, you are now a member of the human team! #If you still have trouble connecting your FitWatch, visit the FAQ page for more help. Game Flow All players who connect with a FitWatch start the game as a human. In order to stay human, they must earn HP by wearing their activity monitor and recording their sleep. The humans with the lowest HP totals at the end of each week become zombies. Once a zombie, players must participare in challenges to earn antidote clues. Once they have a clue, they must solve it and go to the location that it indicates. There they will find a small vial of antidote with a code inside it. In order for the antidote to take effect, they must enter the code on the antidotes tab on the website. Then they have until the end of the following week to get their HP up to the threshold that is displsyed on their antidote page. If they do this sucessfully, they become a human again, and the cycle starts over. If they don't earn enough HP, they remain a zombie and have to earn another antidote clue to try again.